Rio Grande BBQ

Humbucking passive pickup. Nickel. Two wire, braid and lead. Mine measured 12.6 ohms

Put in bridge of an SG Faded Special to replace original 490T. 490R is still on.

Much stronger than the 490T. I grew to actively dislike that pickup-- brighter than bright, thin, brittle. I knew I would be going up two notches with the Rio, by-passing the typical PAF upgrade. I got a good deal on a used BBQ and decided to give it a chance. Dark? Well with an overwound pickup you usually get a mid-range dominant tone like you get here. If you hit it hard you're into distortion, but if you back off the volume and attack, you can get a clean to semi-clean tone. It's nicely touch sensitive. Now I can set the amp tones for one pickup and it's good for the other. With the OEM pickup, that was impossible.

I like it for now. I don't know how it will wear on me. I might have liked the Rio Grande Texas too. It's a BIG difference from what was in the SG before. It is a relief not to hear all those spiky upper mids. This pickup sounds very Rolling Stones to me. It sounds darker on the wound strings then the trebles to my ears. It's nice though. It's quite musical with very good sustain. The touch sensitive aspect is a wonder to behold.

Passive humbucker in zebra. Looks cool, sounds fantastic. I would say that the sound is vintage hot. It's got great output, but not too much which makes is sound more musical. It's an Alnico 5 magnet with approximately 12.5k DC resistance.

I installed this on my Gibson Custom Authentic '58 Butterscotch Les Paul in the bridge position. I can't stand the Burstbuckers with their lack of tone and generally generic sound. I am liking the BBQ so much I will probably put the Texas in the neck soon. I know some of you will cringe when you read that I changed my '58, but Gibson's pickups are crap and their electronics (pot, caps, etc.) are even worse. You spend all this money on a guitar and Gibson cuts every corner possible to pocket more money for themselves.

First of all I want to tell you how I wired my Les Paul. First off, as previously stated, Gibson's electronics parts are crap. I removed all of the volume and tone pots and the caps and replaced them with 500k custom CTS pots made specifically for Guitar Electronics in Phoenix. Then I put in Orange Drop caps. The other thing I did is wire the guitar with 50's (or vintage) wiring spec as opposed to modern wiring. Basically the cap goes from the output of the volume (instead of the input) then goes to the left leg of the tone pot and the center leg goes to ground rather than the left leg. What this does is that when you roll the volume back the pickup does not lose any high end, no dull sounding pickup. But the tone control and volume are now interactive. I use volume a lot, but usually leave tone on 10, but now I have found that if I roll the tone back to five when the bridge pickup is full it almost nails the neck pickup tone, why even have that crappy Burstbucker in the neck position at this point? Anyway, the pickup has tone for days. I would not consider it dark at all, it is very open and airy, very vintage with a lot more muscle and definition. Harmonics leap from the neck now, there is much more touch responsiveness, it's just more expressive and fun to play the guitar now. It cleans up nice, there is great attack and bite and seems to work for any kind of music I play which is hard rock, prog rock, dirty blues and some jazz. My biggest influence is Rush. The pickup is everything I want it to be, and I can't recommend enough you try the vintage wiring along with the custom CTS pots from GuitarElectronics.com

I would definitely buy this pickup again. I may just get some for my HSS strats. I have Seymour Duncan Custom 5's in my strats right now and in comparison the Custom 5's are darker and more muted, or subdued. The BBQ is so open sounding that it makes the strats sound dull and lifeless. I will probably try the BBQ with a couple of Tallboys in my strats. I have been playing for 33 years, have spent way too much time and money on gear and am always happy to share my opinion when I come across something that truly is as good as the claims are. I just felt that Seymour didn't have a pickup (maybe an Antiquity, but that isn't potted) to try in the Paul and after looking, I found a couple of pickups that I wanted to try, but sure didn't want to spend $200 or more on a single pickup. I am glad I got the Rio BBQ and will never look back. This pickup is the perfect match for my Les Paul.

Rio Grande Texas BBQ, 2 Conductor in Zebra. Humbucker.

It's a pickup!

2002 PRS Santana III. Bridge position. Replaced a PRS Santana III which was rather bright and lifeless.

Installed the Texas Genuine Humbucker in the neck position at the same time.

I needed more sustain, better sensitivity and a fatter tone than I was getting with this exquisite guitar. I had a hard time believing that Santana could get his incredible sustain using the Santana III pups.

Output is more than the Santana III pups, very clear and defined, not nearly as bright/tinny. VERY touch sensitive.

These pickups are WORTHY of this guitar. It now sustains effortlessly forever. Very "fat" definition without being bassy or muddy at all. I suspect Santana may be using these same pickups! They sound a world apart from the Santana III's.

Very balanced tone. Can emulate the Santana sound with perfection using both a Ceriatone OTS S&M 50 watt amp head with a Bogner Duende Metropolis Cabinet with a 50 watt Cannabis Rex speaker OR with a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special, 30w, 1x12 spkr. The Ceriatone does sound a little better though, as it should being a handmade boutique amplifier.

This pickup was the missing piece of the puzzle. It is simply a GREAT (what other superlatives can I use?) pup, and I've used many different ones.

I have already ordered another BBQ to put into the bridge position on my Les Paul to see what it does for that.

I put the Texas Genuine HB in the PRS in the neck position but even after gigging with it, I've never gotten off the bridge position! Other guitarists come up and ask how I get my tone. The amp? The guitar? The pickups? ALL THREE I tell them. But once again, the pickups was the final piece of the puzzle.

I love the sound of my Paul with Classic 57's, but seriously, they do not hold a candle to the BBQ's in my opinion.

Been playing for 40+ years professionally.

Yes, checked out DiMarzios and Seymour Duncans. No comparison. This is one monster of a pickup. If you have a nice axe and want to upgrade, at least buy the BBQ for the bridge. You won't be disappointed. They aren't cheap ($106 + $11 shipping) but sound like heaven no doubt.

Passive HB, about 12k.

I tried this in a number of guitars. It's currently in the bridge of a Jaguar Special HH. It replaced a Dimarzio Mo Joe. The Mo Joe is a nice pickup but I wanted something more versatile and not so bright. It's paired with a Rio Genuine TX in the neck.

I normally run through a Cry Baby wah, Barber Direct Drive, Rat, Big Muff and Digidelay into a Bassman reissue. I play everything but mostly blues/southern/classic rock and 90s alt.

This thing is big and thick. Not muddy at all, but very dark. Has great chug.

My first one was in a 335 copy with poplar back and sides and maple top and I loved it. That guitar is a little on the bright side and the BBQ really sounded great in it. But I ruined it trying to split it (it was a 2 conductor). I bought another one to put into a used Ibanez SZ320 that I bought recently and it sounded lifeless. The SZ320 is a heavy mahogony guitar, much like an LP, with a fat mahogony neck and sounds very good with other pickups. I was hoping for the same big, thick, tight tone from the BBQ I had in the 335 copy, but it just sounded flat and lifeless. Since the BBQ's been in a few guitars and has now ended up in a Fender Jaguar Special HH with 1M pots that actually measure about 800k. It sounds great there. The Jag was also a little on the bright side and already a very tight sounding tone. The heavy mids and bass of the BBQ give it a nice round, full sound. I'm toying with replacing the pots with 500k just to see how it sounds.

I'm giving this an 9 because for me, 10 is the Holy Grail of tone and in the right guitar, this thing comes real close. But in the wrong guitar it's very average. I don't think I'd ever try this in an LP. I've read some of the reviews here that say it sounds great, but I don't buy it. It probably sounds great in a fat strat. I might try it in an SG. I'd definately put one in a 335 or Dot if I had one. This would be a 9+ in a maple top 335. In my Jag it's a solid 9.

See other reviews.

I hung this incredible pickup in an Ibanez Artist AR300 in the bridge position (See my review on this guitar). I replaced it with the stock Ibanez 58 which was a tad bit sterile. My BBQ is open faced.

HOLY MESQUITE SMOKE!!! This pickup is a beast. Think Seymour Duncan JB with more harmonic overtones and greater touch sensitivity...and think Texas! The output level is Hot but it cleans up with just a tad of hair, like a Deluxe at about 5. It is definitely built for overdrive and can even go towards metal. Paul Gilbert comes to mind. Great Clarity and incredibly balanced across the strings. Increase the gain and it goes wild but does not get muddy. It is a THICK pickup, so if your looking for something typically bridge/spikey, this pickup is not for you. If you are a player that rarely uses the bridge pickup because there's not enough meat for you, then this is your Holy Grail. It is definitely Tres Hombres. I spent my first day calling up the olde ZZ Catalogue! I play Just about everything but straight forward Jazz. I bought this pickup to give the bridge more juice for clean country and harder rock and I got both in spades! But I'm warning you, if you like your bridge sauce thin and runny, this is not for you.

I've been playing for 32 years and have tried a lot of pickups. I was a Seymour Duncan JB man up until I tried this pickup. It is perfect for what I was looking for. I find myself in the bridge position as much if not more than the neck position with the BBQ. I would definitely replace it if it were stolen and intend on hanging it in a few of my other humbucker guits. The Genuine Texas pickup is also a beaut!

An overwound PAF type pickup.

I installed the BBQ in the bridge position of a hardtail super-strat style Ed Brown bodied: half alder with a thick maple cap; and an AllParts maple one-piece neck; partsocaster: I assembled for myself with a tele style humbucker/bridge combination plate and back ferrals.

The neck pickup is a Dimarzio Super Distortion set fairly far from the strings with a parallel/series switch.

I also use AllParts GraphTech saddles under the plain treble strings, instead of the diecast saddles like under the bass strings, for better balance and to keep the edge off the high notes.

Medium/fat.

I previously tried this particular pickup in a variety of parts guitar bodies, but did not like the lack of highs in this design (overwound PAF style), though I like the Rio Grande Texas humbucker a lot for "normal" PAF sounds (it has more highs).

So the BBQ was kicking around in my parts drawer for a few years until I built this particular very bright sounding guitar (with a 1-meg tone pot, no less).

I originally stuck this pickup in as a place holder while I worked on various neck pickups (I play a lot of variety, from Jazz to Country to Rock, Blues, and classic R&B).

Along the way I discovered that my Mesa/Boogie Mark I never sounded so good until this BBQ pickup on this bright sounding guitar (with the 1 meg tone pot; the guitar's vol pot is 500K).
A great match up.

So I left it in and got a neck pickup I could split, yet still have a good compatible sound with the BBQ in either setting.

The BBQ and DiMarzio Super Distortion (4-wire) really worked out, especially with the Boogie, although it's probably a bit unorthodox to place a Super Distortion in the neck position (it works for me set low down in the guitar body for Jazz and to balance with the BBQ).

On a previous (maple bodied metal-neck Kramer) guitar I had a Dimarzio PAF in the bridge, and a Super Distortion in the neck position (with a series/parallel switch), so I kinda knew what I was after.
That old guitar was a bit twangier with the pickups combined and the neck in parallel coils.

Rio Grande and DiMarzio polarity is opposite though.
I had to reverse the polarity of the DiMarzio on the present guitar to get them in phase. No biggie.

By itself the BBQ has great grind and singing leads with loads of vocal "aaaowww" character, plus enough harmonics and crisp highs with the 1 meg tone pot on the guitar to really get back some of the frequencies I THOUGHT were missing before.

No "icepick" shrieking or (unintended) feedback squeals.

Good bite with a solid tone for Rock and Blues, and even has a nice Country lead sound though not a huge amount of twang. Can be crispy and crunchy without bad habits. Great combination with the Boogie's rasp. Not nasally. Solid and meaty with some chunky, crispy, but overall masculine "hair," and well balanced using GHS Boomers in 10 - 46.

For THIS guitar I would replace in kind if it died.
Blown through a ton of gear since 1961.
I love how it works with a Boogie Mark I clean or dirty.

I've never hated it, just needed the right combination (for me) of guitar build and pot values (and amp) to dig the highs out a little more. Now it's the perfect rig for what I want to do, tone and volume wise.

I've been a single coil pickup guy for a long time, favoring crisp highs and twang over muddy humbuckers, but the time came for NO HUM but still some good tone character. With the above combinations I'm VERY SATISFIED with this pickup, and have ceased looking for a bridge pickup. I've found the one for me.

I may try the Rio Grande "Texas" (again) in the neck position if I can get a 4-wire.

Rio Grande's build quality is very good, and they pot these.

I have had some trouble with threaded polepieces sorta "stripping out" or something on their Bastard and Fat Bastard (P-90 type) pickups though.
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Other than that I've used several types of Rio Grande pickups (Tallboy humbuckers, and s/s/s Strat pickups) and their quality is very high.

I even very much loved the sound of the Bastard and Fat Bastards, even with the minor polepiece problems, and the NOISE. Sheesh!
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Covered Humbucker, 4-conductor
About 12K ohms

PRS Swamp Ash Special
Bridge (treble) Position
PRS McCarty Treble
Don't Know
PRS Treble Sounded Too Scooped

I love the sound of this pick-up. It blends really well with the PRS McCarty bass pick-up. The BBQ is rated hotter than the McCarty, but it isn't louder. I had to adjust it up pretty close to the strings to balance the output of both pick-ups. But it sounds great and really warmed up the lead tones. I would say it gives the guitar more of a vintage Gibson tone. Much warmer and more responsive than the McCarty Treble.

Also, this pick-upis very thick. I was actually able to mount it to the guitar body rather than the pick-up ring which is pretty cool.

I liked the pick-up so much that I put it in my Les Paul also.

I have been playing for 20+ years. I have customized dozens of guitars and would replace this pick-up and highly recomend it to anyone looking for a vintage humbucking tone.

Pickup features: Humbucking, passive
Impedence or other specs: Around 12K

Model of guitar or bass: '61 Gibson SG Reissue, 1991 Gibson SG Standard, 2005 Gibson SG Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gibson bridge (498T & 57 Classic)
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 490R at neck (blends GREAT with the BBQ)
Artists using this pickup: Not sure
You musical style(s): Jamband, Funk, Fusion, New Orleans R&B, Reggae, Rock, Alt Country
Reason for pickup change: Gibson bridge pickups are thin & wimpy. To shrill and lifeless. I like a meaty tone at the bridge. Too much bass and output drop when switching to the neck pickup. The BBQ does this better than any pickup I have tried, and I've tried everything. Also: boutique pickup at MUCH less than a boutique price.

Perceived output level: Powerful but still in the ballpark of vintage. Not a metal bombast pickup, but ballsy as hell while retaining warmth and bass.
Tone: Very very warm, some would say dark. Very musical sounding. Midrange oriented for sure. Sort of like a warmer, bassier Duncan JB. Take the JB, shave off some highs, add some bass, and you have the idea. VERY vocal sounding. The most "sax-like" of any pickup I have ever tried. It's that good. No bass loss when switching to the neck pickup. Really.
Sonic evaluation: I have a few Gibson SG's listed above. I use a 1982 Paul Rivera made all tube Fender Concert, a 90's USA Fender Blues Jr, a Reverend Kingsnake combo, Reverend Kingsnake 20/60 head w/Jensen Neo 2x12 cab, and a Reverend Hellhound combo. All analog effects, nothing digital at all. Ever.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The pickup is suited for any bridge slot that needs warming up and mega warmth without venturing into metal territory (though it'll do metal great - it is especially good for high gain because it'll tame the shrillness that often comes as gobs of gain is added). If your guitar's bridge slot is too bright or thin, this pickup will fix that right up, pronto.

Comments: I have three BBQ's in the bridge slots of all my SG's. I have tried everything to get the balls and warmth I want at the bridge, and have the guitar still balanced at the same amp settings when I switch to the neck pickup. I can actually USE the treble controls on my amps now. I used to have to turn the presence and treble knobs OFF (or close to it). Now I can use the full range of tone controls that some of these fine amps offer. Finally!
I played in a band with a great alto sax player and frequently took the solo AFTER her. Well, if your tone is thin and wimpy, it sounds that way. I was looking for thick, throaty, vocal sounding tones, especially on single note lines. The BBQ is amazing. The guys at Rio Grande have to be commended for doing something that other makers have tried, but no one has accomplished.
I have tried just about every "warm" pickup on the market: Duncan Custom Custom (hated it -waaay too hot and distorted), Duncan JB (my 2nd best fave next to the BBQ), DiMarzio Tone Zone (overly distorted garbage), Air Zone (much much better and clearer- sort of JB-ish but more polite), Breed (also real good, more mids than the Air Zone).
When I tried the BBQ my search was over. It is in all my Gibsons. Gibson should offer it as a stock option in my opinion. It matches PERFECTLY with the 490R that comes stock in the neck of most SG's and many Les Pauls.
Matching the BBQ to the proper neck pickup is very important. The BBQ is THICK & WARM. It can easily make a scooped, vintage sounding neck pickup like a Duncan '59n sound very thin. A a matter of fact I tried the Duncan '59n, Jazz, and Pearly Gates neck models and all sounded like a single coil next to the BBQ. Duncan's pickups to my ears are voiced towards the high end and frequently are scooped in the mids. That is a bad blend with the BBQ which has mids o' plenty. The BBQ will make those types of pickups sound anemic.
For my taste the Rio Genuine Texas was great, but I wanted a bit more high end and less bass, while keeping those mids.
The Gibson 490R does that. It could be a BIT warmer, but the best blend I have found.
Rumour has it that Rio Grande is planning on designing just that: a second match to the BBQ, one that will be a bit brighter and less bassy than the Genuine Texas. When they do that I am first in line to try it out.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: LOUD!

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson SG
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson Burstbucker 3
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson '57 Classic
Artists using this pickup: Lots
You musical style(s): Hybrid Rock/Blues/Jazz meets Thin Lizzy and Queens of the Stone Age
Reason for pickup change: Burstbucker is WAAAY too bright, kinda tinny. Truth be told it's really a good sound, just not mine.

Perceived output level: Reasonably hot, not too over the top. A nice rock or blues sound
Tone: Really thick, bass heavy sound.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using the BBQ in my SG and I love it, but it's a really, REALLY dark sounding pickup. It's fairly well balance and gets an overall clear sound, but I have to really turn up the treble and mids on my amp (a Bogner Shiva) to get something resembling the tone that I'm after. NOTE: This darkness is NOT a bad thing, it isn't a put down, it's just how the pickup sounds. It sounds very Thin Lizzy, Zep, and whatever classic 70's rock guitar sound you care to insert here. A real unique sounding pickup as well, Rio Grande has saved us all the trouble of sorting through a catalog of pickups that all sound the same (sorry Seymour, I call 'em like I see 'em) What's more, I actually got to talk to the head of the company for a while and pick his brain as to which way I should go pickup wise, he suggested these and I'm pretty happy for the most part. My initial instinct when I decided to start swapping pick-ups was to put a Gibson 498-T in the bridge to match outputs with my Les Paul Custom. While I really, really love the BBQ, I think that the 498-T would be a better match for the SG, because it could use a little top end boost to help cut thorugh the solid mahogany tone. I know that the BBQ would absolutely KILL in a Les Paul because of the natural treble from the maple top. Anyway, that's my two cents worth and I hope that it was somewhat useful.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, whatever the hell I feel like

Comments: Hmm... That's a good question. I guess for the most part I like the pickup a lot, but I'm always up for something new, so odds are I'd probably try something new, very likely something else from Rio Grande, otherwise I've had a burning curiousity to try out some WCRs, the hype had better be worth his price tag. As far as my satisfaction level is concerned, I really like the sound this pickup puts out, to be honest it's pretty different from what I envisioned, but it sounds a hell of a lot better than the Burstbucker, at least for what I want my guitar to sound like. Again, I'd reccomend this pickup to anyone playing a mahogany guitar with a maple top, I think that it's sonic character is uniquely suited for that specific type of guitar. It's not a bad match for the SG, not at all, just a little (o.k., a LOT) darker than I'd guessed it would be. Nothing that a little boost in treble and mids on the old Bogner can't fix...

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: check website: riograndepickups.com

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Studio
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan '59 Bridge
Other pickups on guitar: Rio Grande Genuine Texas at the neck.
Artists using this pickup: check website: riograndepickups.com
You musical style(s): Blues, Fusion, Rock, Hard Rock.
Reason for pickup change: Seymour Duncan '59, has a great reputation, but simply does not cut the mustard in my opinion... I knew there were much better pups (even for less $) then SD's so i got one.

Perceived output level: Higher than a PAF, but not a distortion class humbucker.(high-output, but not over the top)
Tone: Very balanced, especially for bridge position. Benchmark '70s Les Paul sound.
Sonic evaluation: Tried this pickup in many different set-ups, and it sounded ace on all of them.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: BBQ can be used at the neck as well when you prefer a beefy neck tone, but i recommend it at the bridge.

Comments: Superb pickup! Real good sound, not too expensive, well made with quality materials, ... The only thing that kept me from giving this pickup a 10 is the fact that they come 2-conductor standard, if they came 4-conductor(not all of us put these in a LP...) i would have given them a 10 for sure! Exellent pickup, highly recommended for the benchmark Les Paul sound. The Genuine Texas/BBQ combo works just ace!! Bravo Rio Grande!!